Building Management Framework: Measurement

"If you can not measure it, you can not improve it." - Lord Kelvin

The present charge seems to be rallying under the battle cry of "Go Green." A mandate is being sent out to reduce energy consumption significantly.

However, before any reduction in usage can be accomplished, a baseline measurement of current current usage (pardon the pun) must be established. Further, a system of continued measurement must be in place such that any reductions in usage can be properly documented.

In regards to measuring usage at the electrical service entrance, there are several major limiting factors at play. Firstly, there is a large installed base of legacy equipment. Newer "smart panels" are sure to support the needed operations but at present are far to expensive to cost justify for anything other that new construction. While smart electric meters are now the norm, they represent a closed system controlled by the electrical service provider.

There seems to be a perfect market space for a wireless, multi-input, clamp on current data logger. Such a device would provide the needed measurement functions. Adding in a temperature sensor would also provide a method of monitoring dangerously high temperatures within the electrical panel. Multiple inputs would allow for monitoring individual branch circuits. The clamp on style reduces installation labor and difficulty, as does the wireless capability. Using a mesh technology like Xbee allows for a large distrubution of devices with minimal cabling.